After receiving a $500,000 federal grant the Montana Department of Agriculture is getting behind a program titled “Beyond the Weather” to address the issue of farmers’ and ranchers’ mental health. Recently on Voices of Montana Director Christy Clark talked about the stresses they face every day many of the rest of us don’t.
Panel Rules PSC Map As Unconstitutional
A three-judge federal judicial panel has ruled the current Montana Public Service Commission map violates the one-person one-vote rule of the U.S. Constitution. Tuesday, the justices ordered Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen to implement a new map ahead of the 2022 election. It shifts Glacier, Pondera and Musselshell Counties into District 1...
Montana Economist Sees Legislature Providing Housing Solution
It’s well known there’s a major housing shortage across Montana but it’s too soon to tell what solutions will look like. Patrick Barkey Director of the Bureau of Business and Economic Research at the University of Montana recently acknowledged this uncertainty but highlighted one possibility.
New Data Details Pay Increase For Montana Teachers
The Montana Office of Public Instruction released data Tuesday showing an estimated 451 early career teachers who qualify could see a $3,472 increase in their salaries in the coming school year. 94 of the state’s 402 school districts encompassing 33 counties are participating in the Tomorrow’s Educators Are Coming Home Act program passed...
NRECA Meeting Improving Cooperation Among Montana Electric Co-Ops
The National Rural Electric Cooperatives Association’s annual meeting and TechAdvantage 2022 Conference and Expo wraps up today in Nashville Tennessee. Tuesday on Voice of Montana, DeeDee Isaacs President of the Montana Electric Cooperative Association and board member of Tongue River Electric Cooperative talked about the importance of s...
Montanan Sworn In As Fish & Wildlife Service Director
Martha Williams was sworn in Tuesday as Director of the Fish and Wildlife Service by Department of Interior Secretary Deb Haaland. Before joining the Biden-Harris administration Williams served as the Director of the Montana Department of Fish Wildlife and Parks from 2017 to 2020. Previously she was an Assistant Professor of Law at the Blewett...
Sen. Tester Calls For More Supply Chain Transparency
With inflation showing no signs of slowing down and the supply chain still disrupted U.S. lawmakers recently introduced the Ocean Shipping Reform Act which would update federal regulations for the global shipping industry. At a Senate Committee hearing on the bill, Senator Jon Tester also pushed for increased supply chain transparency.
State Hospital To Address Lingering Issues
Following a special meeting called by the Children Families Health and Human Services Interim Committee Montana lawmakers have agreed to begin drafting legislation to address short-term and long-term issues at the State Psychiatric Hospital in Warm Springs. One new proposal came from Missoula Representative Danny Tenenbaum. It would stop the p...
New Reports Detail Housing Shortage In Montana
The housing crisis in Montana is becoming more real. In 2021, for every Montanan that moved out of state, four out-of-staters moved in with Montana seeing 70,000 transplants from California alone. In 2021, 24% of all real estate transactions here were paid for in cash. Most buyers are coming from out of state as folks leave high-priced urban m...
NRECA President Details Pandemic Adjustments For Rural Electric Cooperatives
The pandemic has affected everyone including rural electric cooperatives. The National Rural Electric Cooperatives Association is holding its annual convention in Nashville, Tennessee. On Voices of Montana Monday President Chris Christensen, who is also a board member of Glasgow’s Norval Electric Co-Op with 19 employees, talked about it.